Worldwide representatives build connections with area businesses

LOVES PARK, Ill. (WIFR) – Proving it really is just a small world after all – representatives from six countries across the globe meet with local businesses hoping to establish a new partnership.

The International Business Forum took place at City Hall Thursday afternoon where visitors from Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Canada, Germany and Portugal shared their hopes for the future.

State Representative John Cabello started this forum in 2023 with only Canada in attendance. He says the objective is to educate local entrepreneurs on how to trade with other countries and build beneficial connections. By gathering some of the most requested countries under one roof, he hopes area businesses will grow.

“Some of the businesses actually wanted to get products from Canada that would help them here and then they found businesses that would be able to take their products over to Canada,” Cabello says.

Mário Quina is the Portuguese Trae Investment Agency director. He says there is a lot of potential in the stateline area for such a cost-competitive country like Portugal. Quina explains that one of the areas he’s looking to expand is IT, logistics and energy – industries Portugal has a lot of experience in.

“Really like to take an approach case by case based on a company’s needs being incentives to set up shop in Portugal,” Quina says. “Taking them around if they need to find a strategic location for their factories or office or even a tech hub.”

Japan Consulate-General Jun Yanagi believes this event showcases the strengths of the countries in attendance. For Japan, he highlights the millions of jobs in manufacturing that have come out of Japan’s partnership with the U.S. He says there are a lot of opportunities in America to display Japanese culture, including one of Rockford’s most popular tourist attractions.

“Rockford hosts the famous Anderson Japanese Gardens … showcasing Japanese culture and stunning natural beauty,” Yanagi says.

Representatives from Canada and Germany say they look forward to expanding future technologies through networking across the world.

Madeleine Féquière, the Consul General of Canada expresses just how important trade agreements are, especially the significant one between Canada and Illinois. She says this event allows her to expand her horizons to countries she’s never had a chance to speak with before.

Michael Ahrens, the German Consul-General adds to his hope for future technologies by saying he looks forward to advancing an already booming manufacturing industry by working with our local experts, and beyond.

“We all face the same challenges and we cannot tackle them alone, so I feel transatlantic cooperation only makes us stronger,” Ahrens says. “It’s important that we try to tackle these issues jointly and not a race to the bottom but a race to the top.”

Representative Cabello says several more countries have expressed interest in seeing what area businesses have to offer at the 2025 International Business Forum.

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